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Kashrut: Dairy/Meat: Dishwashers: Neutral/Pareve Item
You may not wash a neutral/ pareve dish in a meat or milk dishwasher--even if there are no dirty dishes with milk or meat on them and even if there are no other dishes in the dishwasher. If you did, the neutral/pareve dish may have become the gender of the dishwasher, but consult a rabbi for leniencies.
Situation You have a meat or milk dishwasher and you washed a neutral/pareve utensil in it.
What To Do If the dishwasher has dirty dishes containing milk or meat food, the neutral/pareve utensil will become that gender. However, if the dishwasher does not have any dirty dishes with food of either gender on them and the dishwasher has not been used for at least 24 hours, the pareve dish will remain pareve.
NoteThis is a b'di'avad (after the fact) case. You may not intentionally (l'chatchila) wash the pareve utensil in a gendered dishwasher.
What To Do If the dishwasher has dirty dishes containing milk or meat food, the neutral/pareve utensil will become that gender. However, if the dishwasher does not have any dirty dishes with food of either gender on them and the dishwasher has not been used for at least 24 hours, the pareve dish will remain pareve.
NoteThis is a b'di'avad (after the fact) case. You may not intentionally (l'chatchila) wash the pareve utensil in a gendered dishwasher.
Pet Food If Forbidden by Torah
You may not feed your pet anything that Torah law says you may not benefit from, such as food containing meat and milk that have been cooked together.
Shabbat: Hot Soup and Cheese
You may not put cheese in hot (120° F--49° C—or more) water or soup on Shabbat.
Reason This is cooking/bishul. Even though the milk was probably pasteurized, there are other ingredients (such as rennet) that have not been cooked.
Reason This is cooking/bishul. Even though the milk was probably pasteurized, there are other ingredients (such as rennet) that have not been cooked.
Microwave Oven: Kosher Status: Walls and Door
Since microwave oven walls and doors do not normally get hot (more than 120° F, or 49° C), there is usually no need to kasher them from milk to meat (or back to milk); from ordinary use to Passover use; or from non-kosher to kosher. Just clean all surfaces.
Owning Business that Violates Torah Law
Owning a business that has any violations of Torah laws is forbidden.
Examples A Jew may NOT:
- Own a non-kosher restaurant that sells food containing meat and milk that have been cooked together.
- Own or operate a business that is open on Shabbat or Jewish festivals.
Mezuza: Buildings Regularly Used with a Person's Home
Mezuzot must be placed on any buildings used with a person's home.
Examples
Note A structure that only stores items not used regularly, such as a shed for storing a sukka--even if attached to a house--does not need a mezuza.
- A barn with animals that is near a house, if you use their milk or meat for food.
- A coop with birds that is near a house if you eat their meat or eggs.
- A shed for firewood.
Note A structure that only stores items not used regularly, such as a shed for storing a sukka--even if attached to a house--does not need a mezuza.
NoteDo not put mezuzas on a sukka or any other temporary structure. If you have a pergola or gazebo that is at least 50 sq. ft. of area inside and that you use during much of the year, consult a rabbi.
What Jews May Not Benefit From
Jews are forbidden from benefiting (asur b'hana'a) in any way from:
- Bechor (first-born male) of a Jewish-owned goat, sheep, or cow
- Chametz on Passover
- Idols
- Kilei ha'kerem
- Mixtures of milk cooked with meat
- Orla
- Yayin nesech and possibly stam yeinam.
Kashrut: Dairy/Meat: Waiting between Eating: Dairy after Meat
You may not eat dairy-containing foods directly after eating meat-containing foods, for two reasons:
- So as not to have meat stuck in your teeth when you eat milk-containing foods.
- So as not to eat dairy foods while you still can detect the taste of the meat-containing foods in your system.
Note There are various customs on how long to wait after eating meat-containing foods to eat dairy-containing foods, including:
- 60 minutes for Jews whose families originated in Holland.
- 3 hours for Jews whose families originated in Germany.
- 6 hours for most other Jews, with variations including 5 hours-1 minute, 5 hours-31 minutes, and 6 hours.
Kashrut: Cheese: Jew at Time of Rennet
Cheese/Gvinas Akum
Gvinas akum is cheese which has been made by non-Jews and by rabbinical prohibition is only kosher if a Jew was present during the cheese making OR if a Jew put the rennet into the milk.
Note If a Jew owns the milk before processing, a non-Jew can add kosher rennet as long as it can be confirmed that the rennet is kosher, even if no Jew is present during the cheese making.
Origin of the Problem: Chazal were concerned that the rennet used to make cheese might be from a non-kosher animal or even from a kosher animal that had not been slaughtered properly. Shulchan aruch says that even cheese curdled by kosher plant enzymes (such as fig branch sap or substances from certain thistle plants) are subject to the takana.
Note Gvinas Akum is not related to chalav yisrael; they are separate halachot.
Note Even rennet-less cheeses need hashgacha (religious supervision), but some non-hard cheeses may be an exception. Ask a rabbi.
Gvinas akum is cheese which has been made by non-Jews and by rabbinical prohibition is only kosher if a Jew was present during the cheese making OR if a Jew put the rennet into the milk.
Note If a Jew owns the milk before processing, a non-Jew can add kosher rennet as long as it can be confirmed that the rennet is kosher, even if no Jew is present during the cheese making.
Origin of the Problem: Chazal were concerned that the rennet used to make cheese might be from a non-kosher animal or even from a kosher animal that had not been slaughtered properly. Shulchan aruch says that even cheese curdled by kosher plant enzymes (such as fig branch sap or substances from certain thistle plants) are subject to the takana.
Note Gvinas Akum is not related to chalav yisrael; they are separate halachot.
Note Even rennet-less cheeses need hashgacha (religious supervision), but some non-hard cheeses may be an exception. Ask a rabbi.
When Hechsher NOT Needed
Processed Food without Hechsher: Is It Kosher?
If a processed food does not have supervision/hashgacha, here are some issues to consider:
If a processed food does not have supervision/hashgacha, here are some issues to consider:
- Ingredients;
- Utensils/processing equipment;
- Bishul akum/“prestigious” foods that require Jewish involvement in the cooking;
- Heating system (recirculated steam?);
- Heter for milk without being supervised - which conditions and countries can be relied on;
- Non-food ingredients (lubricants, preservatives, emulsifiers...);
- Reliability of the producer;
-
Is the non-kosher ingredient batel/nullified?
- ownership (Is the food's producer or owner Jewish?)
- intended consumer (Is the food being produced specifically for Jews, or is it for the public and Jews are some of the customers)?
- Was the non-kosher substance added intentionally?
- Does the non-kosher substance have flavor?
- Was the non-kosher substance added for flavor?
- Beer made in the US (and sometimes in other countries).
- Nuts (dry roasted) without additives.
-
Olives--assumed to be kosher unless mixed with ingredients that may be non-kosher, such as:
- Vinegar (sometimes made from grapes).
- Non-kosher chemical preservatives (in commercially sold olives).
Note In open markets in which olives are sold in bulk, you may eat olives after checking the ingredients. - Olive oil (extra virgin).
-
Pure fruit juice NOT made from concentrate (such as orange or pineapple juice) does not normally require a hechsher (except for grape juice, which always requires a hechsher!).
Note Juices from concentrate might have kashrut problems due to the vats in which they are cooked or pasteurized. If you can verify how the juice was processed and that there are no kashrut problems, you may use the juice without a hechsher. There may also be problems with juice made from fruit or vegetables which were grown in Eretz Yisrael, due to orla, shmitta, teruma and maaser.
-
Scotch whiskey--even where it might have been aged in sherry casks.
Reason Any sherry would be nullified as less than 1/6th.
Note Other types of whiskey may not be kosher because:- Glycerine may have been added;
- The whiskey may have been owned by a Jew during Passover in a previous year; or
- Milk, or alcohol derived from milk, might have been added.
- Sugar (confectioner's) needs kosher supervision only for Passover. Regular sugar never needs kosher supervision (currently).
-
Unprocessed foods such as
- Raw fruits and vegetables (but might need to be checked for insects), and
- Water, but some unfiltered tap water might have tiny creatures in it which make the water non-kosher.
Note Several websites list additional foods that do not need supervision to be trusted as kosher.
Kashrut: Dairy/Meat: Waiting between Eating: Neutral/Pareve D or DE after Meat
If you can definitively ascertain that a food is or is not dairy from the ingredient list, you may rely on it.
However, many food additives or ingredients that are dairy do not contain the word “milk" or “dairy” (for example, dairy-based flavorings or dairy derivatives such as whey or casein/sodium caseinate).
However, many food additives or ingredients that are dairy do not contain the word “milk" or “dairy” (for example, dairy-based flavorings or dairy derivatives such as whey or casein/sodium caseinate).
Situation Neutral/pareve food marked “D” or “DE” (“dairy equipment”) has no dairy ingredients (or the dairy ingredients constitute less than 1/60 of the food's volume.)
Note This does not get measured by weight.
What To Do You may eat the food:
What To Do You may not eat the food with, or immediately after, the meat food.
Note This does not get measured by weight.
What To Do You may eat the food:
- Immediately after eating meat foods, but
- Not together with the meat food.
What To Do You may not eat the food with, or immediately after, the meat food.
Introduction to Shabbat Domain/Techum Shabbat
Techum Shabbat (Shabbat domain) is the furthest distance a Jew may walk on Shabbat. Wherever you are when you start Shabbat determines your starting point for techum Shabbat :
- City/Enclosed Area If you start Shabbat in a city or enclosed area of any type, you may walk up to 0.7 mile (1 km) beyond the border (last house) of that city or enclosed area.
- Uninhabited Area If you start Shabbat in an uninhabited place, such as a forest, you may walk only within a 0.7 mile (1 km) radius of where you started Shabbat.
Kashrut: Dairy/Meat: Waiting between Eating: Bread with Dairy, Then Meat
Situation You said ha'motzi over bread for a dairy meal.
Status You may not reuse the same bread for a meat-containing meal.
What To Do You may either:
Status You may not reuse the same bread for a meat-containing meal.
What To Do You may either:
- Get some new bread, or
- Not eat bread at all with the meat.
Non-Spicy/Non-Charif Soaking: Transfers Taste to Utensil/Container
A non-spicy/non-charif liquid or food with any liquid (enough to pour, but that may be even one drop) that sits for 24 hours or more will transfer gender or non-kosher status to its container.
Situation Dairy or meat liquid-containing food is in pareve container.
StatusContainer will become dairy or meat (regardless of intention).
Situation Dairy or meat liquid-containing food is in pareve container.
StatusContainer will become dairy or meat (regardless of intention).
Examples
- Milk sitting in a pareve mug for 24 hours or more would make the pareve mug dairy.
- Chicken soup sitting in a pareve stoneware bowl for 24 hours or more would make the bowl meat.
Introduction to Forbidden Mixtures/Kilayim
The limits of kilayim keep:
- Individual creations true to themselves, in the way they were created by God, and
- Different, or opposing, spiritual forces governing creation in their own places and within their own bounds.
Note The Shulchan Aruch lists over 120 halachot pertaining to kilayim in planting!
Kilayim-type laws apply today to:- Animals (not yoking an ox and donkey together; not interbreeding, say, a horse and a donkey to produce a mule),
- Food (not eating milk with meat),
- Clothing - not wearing a garment made of a mixture of linen and wool (sha'atnez), and
-
Plants (interplanting, interbreeding, and grafting different species).
Note Vineyards in Eretz Yisrael may only be near fruit trees if:
- A wall divides fruit tree and vineyard, OR
- The vineyard is not a bona fide vineyard. A bona fide vineyard has at least 5 grapevines in at least two rows, with at least two vines in one row and three in the other.